Woman Peeling Apple Painting Appraisal

Painting: 'Woman Peeling Apple' in a Dark Wood Frame

This item is an antique or vintage framed oil painting, possibly a print resembling an oil painting, depicting an interior genre scene known as a 'Woman Peeling Apple' by Cornelis de Man (often mistakenly attributed to Pieter de Hooch). The central figures are a woman, dressed in a black bodice with white sleeves and collar and a bright red skirt, seated and engaged in peeling an apple. Next to her stands a child, possibly looking up at her, rendered in muted tones of green or beige. The background suggests a domestic interior with architectural elements like a fireplace or wall structure and a checkered floor pattern. The overall color palette is dark, with richer tones used for the figures' clothing to create contrast. The painting itself exhibits visible texture, consistent with an older oil medium, though a closer inspection would be needed to determine if it is a true oil painting or a textured print. The condition shows significant signs of age, including a notable craquelure pattern across the surface, giving it an aged aesthetic. There are also visible scuffs, scratches, and potentially areas of accumulated grime or discoloration, particularly noticeable in the darker sections and on the frame. The painting is housed within a two-tiered wooden frame. The inner frame is a narrow, gilded fillet with a decorative, possibly acanthus leaf or similar, pattern in relief. This gilding shows wear and some darkening. The outer frame is a wider, dark-stained wood (likely oak or a similar hard wood) with a simple, classical profile, showing several chips, scuffs, and a generally distressed patina consistent with considerable age and handling. The corners of both frames appear to be mitered joints. The framing style suggests a late 19th to early 20th-century period, or even earlier for the artwork itself, given the common replication of Dutch Golden Age masterpieces.